Improvement in railroad-car springs



P. G. GARDINER.

Patented Mar. l0, 1863.

Car Spring.

N-PEIERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASWNGTON, D C,

UNTTED STATES `PATENT GEEiCE...

PERRY G. GARDINER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EMPRVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,862, dated March 10,1863.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PERRY G. GARDINER, of the city of N ew York,mechanical engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Springs for Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description of my said inven4 tion and improvements,reference being had to the drawings accompanying and making part of thismy specification, and to the letters of reference thereon.

My invention consists in the manner of using and applying the elasticand compressible qualities of natural owjrool, in combination withsprings of steel in a spiral or circular frame and operating together ina cell or cells, so as to form a spring sufficiently strong, durable,and elastic for railroad-cars. Other animal or vegetable fibroussubstances -such as hair ormcortton-may be used and combined and appliedin a similar manner; but I consider wool as the most durable andelastic, and, in general, the best of any material capable of being usedand applied according to my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I represents in horizontalcrosssection the cells or case, the spiral steel springs, the woolpacked or compressed within the spirals, and the bolt which holds thesliding top or cover of the spring upon the body of the spring itself,the cross-section being made at the line where the cover rests upon thebody of the spring. Fig. II represents a vertical cross' section of thespring through the part indicated by the line .r x in Fig. I. Fig. IIIshows the base or bottom of the case or cells in horizontalcross-section. Fig. IV represents the spiral spring with the wool packedor compressed therein and detached from the cell or case.

In all the figures the saine letters represent the same parts.

My spring is constructed in manner following: I place the operatingparts ofthe spring within a cast-iron shell or ease, and which case hasa cover or top, B, which shuts over the body thereof, and slides upon itto give the required play or action of the spring. This shell or case Aconsists of a group of cells or chambers in the form of hollowTcylinders(usually four in number) united together in one casting, so asto resemble a group of columns, the shape of which is shown in horizontal cross-section in Figs. I and III. I construct steel spiralsprings s s of a sizejust sufficient to fill the cells and work freely,each within its own cell. These steel spirals should be made upon amandrel very slightly conical or tapering from the base, as well for thethe purpose of being easily disengaged from the mandrel as for allowinga slight recess or space between the upper exterior surfaces of thespirals and the correspending interior surfaces of the cells withinwhich they are made to operate. The inside diameter of the coils forjourn al-sprin gs for ordinary ears is about three times the diameter ofthe wire composing the spring, and the size or diameter of the wirecomposing them is about three-eighths of an inch; and I think that agood proportion of the diameter of the coil to the diameter of the wirecomposingitis as three to one. I do not consider that these precisedimensions areA indispensable, but variations may be admitted accordingto the circum `stances and conditons required. Into the hollow part orcentral space of these spirals I pack the wool, (or other fibrouselastic ma terial,) as shown ata a, Figs.I, II, IV in brown colors. Thewool best adapted to this purvpose is the long-ber coarse wool-such asBuenos Ayres wool-and requires no other preparation than being washed orcleansed so as to free it entirely from dirt. It should be as free aspossible from moisture when put into the spring.

While packing or compressing the wool into the spring, the spring shouldbe held firmly within a hollow cylinder or a vice with circular jaws soas to surround it. The wool should then beforcedljnly a followerforrammer, by pressure, or by blows, audit would be best to have the woolpassed into the spring through a tube ofthe size of the hollow of thespring to be filled. It should be forced and compressed into the hollowofthe spiral so as to ll it completely, but should not be permitted tobulge out of the exterior line of the coils, as this wo`uld interferewith the action of thei spiral spring within cell, and create friction?and clogging between it and the interior surface of the cells. Thequantity of wool to be forced into the hollow of the spiral should beabout as much as it will bear to have forced into it and not rise abovethe top of the spirall These spirals, being thus firmly packed and ftilled with the wool, arevplaced in the cells, as shown in Fig. II.

The plate or base c is a dat disk of iron to form a base, and close theopenings in the bot' It is to be observed that these spiralicol.l

umns are not all to be ot' equal hei ght,'but they may be all different,or two may be oi' the sameY heightand the other two of less heigl1t,ras

shown` in Fig. II ate e, the object of which arrangement is to have onlya part of the num= ber of columns of spirals in action when the load islight, the others coming into action as the load increases; in otherwords, to graduate the action ofthe resisting elastic force according tothe load. This is effected by means of the arrangementof the interiorparts of the capY or cover B, Fig. II. This cover is of cast-iron andshuts down over the lower case, so aste iit very accurately and slideeasily upon it.l

It has hollow cylinders b b, all of equal dimensions and correspondingto the numberof spiral springs cast upon the interior surfaceof the top,and projecting downward directly over. the corresponding spiral columnsbeneath. These cylinders are made hollow for the purposes of lightnessand economy, and their hollow spaces are lled by plugs of wood b b',Fig.. II. These projections and plugs constitute the followers by whichthe spiral columns are acted upon by the load, and their length willcorrespond to the amount ot' action or play given to the sping. A screwbolt with head and nut is inserted through the center, as shown atd d,by which the cover and body of the spring are kept adjusted together.

This manner of combining the wool and the steel spring does not permitthe wool to wear or cut to pieces, or lose its elastic and vital force,and the spiral steel spring holds it in column and in a sufficientlysolid form toa1- low its force and lively action, and at the same timetol afford sufficient elastic resistance to the load, while it also aidsthe spiral in ifs elastic active properties, the wholey being supportedand arranged by and into a neat, compact, and beautifullyshaped springby means of thev group of columns constituting the case and the cover.The access of dirt and dust andv other matter likely to destroy orimpair the vitality of the wool is eft'ectually guarded against.

The springs of the dimensions herein given are adapted to the journalsof the ordinary passen ger-cars upon American railroads haveightwheels,there`being a spring attached to each journal-box. These springs mayalso be used wherever desired for body-sprin gs.

I am aware that the application of wool,

cotton, and other vegetable and animal materials as elastic agents isnot original with me nor do I claim the use of such as my invention, butonly the4 manner in which I apply them in combination with the steel'springs, and the combiningthem with the casein cells and in the columnform. Owing to the remarkably soft and easy action of the springsV thusconstructed, I call them, for the. sake of distinction, the cushionedsteel springs.

Having thus described my invention and improvements and the manner ot'constructing the same, what l claim therein as my invention, and forwhich l desire Letters Patent, is- I l. The manner of applying the wool(or other brous materials) within aspiral or circular steel spr-ing soas to hold the wool in a columnar form and compressed to a sufficientdegree ot' compactness to act as a spring itself', and also aid andstrengthen the spiral` spring at the same time and hold it in a straightline.

2. The peculiar construction of the followers b b in being composed of awooden plug within the hollow cylinder, thereby producing lightness andeconomy.

3. In combination with the other parts ot'v the spring, the manner ofgiving a progressive orincreased elastic resistance according to theincrease of the load, by making the columns constituting the springs ofdifferent heights, as described.

P. G. GARDINER.

l Witnesses: f

I. B. S'rAPLEs, G. W. FOX.

